importance of IoT for Web Designers Future

The Internet of Things (IoT) has rolled in like a slow and steady wave since 1982. That’s the year Carnegie Mellon University modified a Coke machine so programmers could get updates on the machine and see if cold drinks were available.

IoT importance for Web Designers Bright Future

Today, the IoT is booming. For example, Walmart uses radio frequency identification (RFID) sensors to determine top-selling items in its stores, while governments use technology to solve chronic community problems. IoT-enabled home automation systems are becoming the norm, empowering homeowners to adjust lights, temperature, or security cameras from afar.

IoT’s future looks bright, too. According to expert reports that more than half of new business processes will use the IoT by the year 2020.

At the heart of those IoT systems are the User Interface (UI) and the User Experience (UX). UI comprises the visual elements of a page; UX focuses on site navigation, search engine optimization, and research and analytics.

Web designers are the architects of these elements, and CNN Money predicts an 18% growth in UX designer jobs in the next ten years. With the increase in demand, however, comes an expectation that designers have a wide variety of skills to meet the complex demands of building sites for the IoT. Get Familiar with New Expectations and Responsibilities

Web designers oversee several complex tasks in the world of IoT:

They build sites that communicate with back-end databases that have collected information from IoT devices.

They create front-end interfaces, allowing users to interact with numerous devices that frequently have different screen sizes or run on different platforms.

They ensure that user experiences will be clean, fast, and intuitive.

UX designers will have to construct devices that intuitively communicate their needs. For instance, Amazon’s voice-activated Alexa blinks a pleasing blue every time it receives a command but flashes in red when there’s a problem. This tells the user when a problem occurs without them having to get out an owner’s manual

JavaScript is already widely used in web pages, web servers, mobile apps, and IoT systems, and it has numerous benefits that suit it to the IoT’s complexity in particular. Its codebase is stable and maintainable; it provides access to many tools and testing frameworks; and most importantly, JavaScript is already spoken on much of the internet.

“More elements will likely be created with JavaScript as it has the potential to cope with the communication demands of IoT.

JavaScript also has an event loop that helps expedite tasks.

We can receive and respond to events, then wait for a callback from each event that notifies us once it is complete. This means we can respond to events as they happen, juggling many tasks simultaneously as they come in.

A site that explores developing for emerging technology. Multiple devices can also respond to the same events. This works nicely in the Internet of Things.

Build Your Knowledge Base

The savvy web designer should build skills now to covering topics such as how science and technology have developed to enable the IoT, what the future of embedded devices looks like, and the basics of robotic motion systems for on-ground robots.

Whatever you decide, building cross-disciplinary skills will help you keep pace with the world of IoT and stay ahead of the competition.

Take Your Seat at the IoT Table

There is indeed a bright future ahead in the IoT, and UX/UI designers will play a key role. In fact, web designers are integral to progress.

Everywhere we look, an IoT opportunity can be found. Couple that with the internet, and web applications and designs can transcend to offer meaningful innovation that gives users a more interactive experience. Web designers will need to have a fresh perspective with connectivity in mind from the start and rethink how electronics and software interact. Without the right combination in place, the IoT won’t be able to reach its full potential.